Thomas Doubleday
Thomas Doubleday (February 1790 - 18 December 1870) was an English poet, playwright, biographer, radical politician, and political economist.Holyoake, 255. Life Doubleday was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne in February 1790, the son of George Doubleday, head of the firm of Doubleday and Easterby, soap and vitriol manufacturers. His uncle Robert, a distinguished classical scholar, theologian, and philanthropist inspired him with a taste for literature, to which he decided to devote himself. When twenty-eight years of age he published a small book of poems, and five years later a tragedy, both attracting attention and expectation by their ability. At the death of his father he became a junior partner of the firm, but took no active part in it. Doubleday devoted himself entirely to the cause of the people, and aided the whig party by voice and pen in helping forward the reform agitation of 1832. He was secretary to the northern political union, and prominent in the agitation which the union prosecuted in aid of Earl Grey and the reforming party in parliament. At a great meeting held in Newcastle in 1832 he moved one of the resolutions. Warrants were drawn out for the arrest of Doubleday and others on the charge of sedition, but were never served, as the government went out of office in a few days. After the Reform Bill Doubleday, unlike many whigs, maintained his old position. His unbending integrity won for him the respect of both sides. He and Charles Attwood presented an address to Earl Grey on behalf of the northern political union, declaring the Reform Bill unsatisfactory to the people, and advocating some of the points afterwards adopted by the Chartists. Doubleday vigorously opposed the Poor Law Amendment Act. As early as 1832 he published an Essay on Mundane Moral Government, maintaining the theory of the existence of law in the moral as in the physical world. In 1842 he wrote The True Law of Population shown to be connected with the Food of the People. The outline of the argument was first given in a letter to Lord Brougham, and appeared in Blackwood's Magazine. The work, attacking some Malthusian principles, was the cause of considerable controversy. He was a laborious student, and worked in almost every department of literature. Besides dramas and poems he wrote tracts on money. He wrote three dramas – The Statue Wife, Diocletian, and Caius Marius – at the suggestion, it is said, of Edmund Kean. He criticised Tooke's ‘Considerations;’ he published ‘A Political Life of Sir Robert Peel: An Analytical Biography,’ a defence of Bishop Berkeley, and ‘The Eve of St. Mark, a Romance of Venice,’ in two volumes. He was also author of many successful angling songs. Towards the end of his life he became registrar of births, marriages, and deaths.Holyoake, 256. He retained his vigour until his death. He was a remarkable instance of the combination of ardent and refined literary tastes with strong and outspoken political principles. Throughout a long life he was to be found where his speeches and writings had taught the people to expect him. His residence in a district where cultivation was little recognised deprived him of opportunities of gaining the distinction due to his diversified attainments, but he had great influence in the north of England. He died at Bulman's Village, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Publications Poetry *''Sixty-five Sonnets; with prefatory remarks on the accordance of the sonnet with the powers of the English language; also a few miscellaneous poems''. London: Baldwin, Cradock, & Joy, 1818. *''Dioclesian: A dramatic poem''. London: Hurst, Chance, 1829. Plays *''The Italian Wife: A tragedy''. Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1823. *''Babington: A tragedy''. Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1825. *''Caius Marius, the Plebeian Consul: A historical tragedy''. London: J. Macrone, 1836. Novel *''The Eve of St. Mark: A romance of Venice''. (2 volumes), London: Smith, Elder, 1857. Non-fiction *''Remarks on some points of the currency question: in a review of Mr. Tooke's 'Considerations'.'' London: Baldwin, Cradock, & Joy, 1826. *''The Question of the Vote by Ballot Plainly Stated''. London: J. Ridgeway, 1831. *''A Letter to the Radical Reformers of Newcastle upon Tyne: On the late election and its attendant circumstaces''. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: W. Fordyce, 1835. *''The True Law of Population Shewn to be Connected with the Food of the People''. London: Simkin, Marshall, 1842. *''A Financial, Monetary and Statistical History of England: From the Revolution of 1688 to the present time''. London: Effingham Wilson,1847. *''On Mundane Moral Government: Demonstrating its analogy with the system of material government''. Edinburgh & London: Blackwood, 1852. *''The political life of the Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel, bart''. (2 volumes), London: Smith, Elder, 1856. *''"Why is money scarce?": The Question Answered: In a letter to Thomas John Tayler, Esq., of Earsdon, Northumberland''. London: Smith, Elder 1857. A letter to the Duke of Northumberland on the ancient Northumbrian music. 1857. *''The Touchstone: A series of letters on social, literary, and political subjects''. London: Hardwicke, 1863. *''Crimes of the Whigs; or, A Radical's reasons for supporting the Tory party at the next general election''. Edinburgh & London: Blackwood / Newcastle upon Tyne: Daily Journal, 1864.. *''Matter for Materialists: A series of letters''. London, Longmans, Green, Reader & Dyer, 1870. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Thomas Doubleday, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 5, 2016. See also *List of British poets *List of English-language playwrights References * . Wikisource, Web, June 5, 2016. Notes External links ;Poems *"The Roman Well" *"Stanzas written among the Ruins of Tynemouth Priory" ;About *Thomas Doubleday at History of Economic Thought *Thomas Doubleday (1790-1870) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * Doubleday, Thomas Category:British non-fiction writers Category:Whig (British political party) politicians Category:1790 births Category:1870 deaths Category:English poets Category:English songwriters Category:People from Newcastle upon Tyne (district) Category:Geordie songwriters Category:English male writers Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:Songwriters